Unforgiven
by Hikers123
Summary: Classic tale of Humphrey leaving Jasper. After all, how could he forgive Kate for simply using him to get home. That must be what happened, right? Or is it that Humphrey has made a mistake?
1. Part 1

**Unforgiven**

_**Part One**_

Humphrey was in shock — filled with anger, sadness, pain, remorse — as there was only one that he had ever cared for. Only one wolf that he had ever loved. How, after all he and she had gone through, could the universe give this fate. Oh, what was he thinking, the universe isn't to blame. It was entirely Kate's doing. Humphrey had given his heart to her laid upon a silver platter, a meal fit for the highest of kings and queens, but she wouldn't even bat an eyelash to it.

Love, the creator and destroyer of worlds. It had built his world, and now, it had come to tear it down.

He was walking up to the Alpha-Den. From the ground he could see Lilly combing Kate's golden-yellow fur. There were no other wolves in earshot, so he couldn't help but mumble and curse to himself.

"I've given my heart and soul to you. I've saved your life, and you've saved mine. Does that mean we're even? No. My soul will never be healed."

Before he could finish the entirety of his thoughts, he arrived at the top of the rock pathway. It seemed Lilly had gone inside. Humphrey couldn't help but notice how beautiful Kate looked as thousands of beams of light glistened off her fur; she almost outshone the sun in her perfection. He almost did not register that Marcel and Paddy were currently speaking to her.

Almost.

"You're getting married!" the two birds said in unison.

Kate seemed surprised. "Yeah. I'm getting married," she awkwardly smiled, then, tilting her head in curiosity, "Who told you?"

Humphrey couldn't help but budge his way into their conversation, so he answered her question for the two birds. "I did," he said as he walked out of the shadows formed by the side of the hill.

"Humphrey!" Kate exclaimed in shock, feeling a tugging of her heart as she locked eyes with the gray Omega.

The two birds seemingly knew where the conversation was going, so they quickly left with a polite goodbye.

"Excuse me. A flea." Humphrey joked as he pulled a flower out from behind his head while simultaneously making up his mind on his final decision. He tried his hardest to keep his facade: only exposing the "joy" everyone knew him for. "And a little something for your big day."

Kate looked overjoyed by the friendly gesture, "Thank you." Although the act was simple, it quickly made it all the more difficult for Humphrey to go through with his next words.

"Just wanted to say goodbye." he said strongly holding back the tears and rage he could feel building behind the great blue of his eyes.

"Goodbye?" Kate asked bewildered by his shocking statement. Almost as if she did not hear him correctly.

"Yeah. I'm thinking about doing a little traveling, you know, seeing where the train takes me." He forced a laugh before continuing. "And maybe I'll visit our friends the bears. Our old buddies, see how they're doing." He forcibly kept his teeth from grinding. "I'll tell them you said 'hi'."

Kate's heart began to sink as she refused to believe it was true: "Wait. But you're leaving Jasper?"

"Yeah. You know, it's a lone wolf thing." Humphrey grinned, his own sadness forming in his eyes.

"I know Humphrey, the fun-loving Omega, not Humphrey, the lone wolf."

His internal emotions were crying, but his face remain calm and collected. "So I'll be a fun-loving lone wolf."

The last words he heard from her were, "I don't doubt that."

* * *

Life and liberty, the two things Humphrey gained since leaving the pack. Happiness, on the other hand, was far out of his reach. Indeed, many little things caused him to laugh. For one, Marcel getting his foot caught in a hole while trying to fish one of his golf balls out of a lake after Paddy made a bet with him. These kind of things were funny and greatly appealed to Humphrey's roots, but nothing could make him wholly happy. It has been one month since Humphrey got on the train, and regret has clawed away at him every one of those 30 days. But he had made his choice, and was content with it. Strangely enough, for it seemed to Humphrey, he had gained a very healthy amount of muscle within the past few weeks. Ever since he left, he has needed to get his own food where berries were just not enough to sustain a wolf living on his own.

Sawtooth was many miles away from Jasper, and Humphrey was glad for that. Despite how much he had loved Kate, she broke his heart, and the moment he stepped foot on that train out of Jasper, he promised himself that he would never go back. How could he go back? Every night he thought about it. He wondered if he would ever forgive her, even if he had the chance. He repeatedly told himself that he would never forgive her, that him and her were nothing anymore: as if they were even anything to begin with.

Every day, when he was sure that Marcel and Paddy were not near, he would go to a nearby lake. He would wait until the water was still, find his reflection, and spoke to it.

"You and her are over. You can't go back. There is nothing for you. You can't go back. She won't care. You won't go back. You don't care."

'_Yes, such a fun-loving lone wolf,'_ he thought to himself.

Unbeknownst to him, Kate was well on her way.

No stampede could kill the famous leaders of the East and West Jasper packs. Granted they were injured, but they were not dead. Lilly was just as much the daughter of the pack as Kate, and she took Kate's place in the marriage despite her position on the ancient hierarchy.

'_Omegas and Alphas. Alphas and Omegas. Not such a crazy idea after all,'_ Kate would ponder.

Not long after the law was abolished did Kate set out to find Humphrey. Lilly found her true love, and Kate was not willing to lose her's after it had been so close. It was practically in her grasp. She did not care how long it would take. The packs were in very capable paws and were stronger than they had ever been prior, so she surely-yet-reluctantly boarded the train.

**This story is a mini-series where three short chapters will be posted every weekend until the conclusion.**

**Thank you for reading and supporting my writing.**

**As always, read for your own enjoyment.**

**-Hikers123**


	2. Part 2

_**Part Two**_

A day since Kate had left Jasper, and thirty-one days since Humphrey left Jasper. How much could have changed?

The water was perfect, still, shining with just as much luminosity as the day-star above it. Humphrey's reflection glistened without a single strand of fur missing from the image. He appeared almost angelic.

A tear began to roll down the left side of his muzzle as heavenly memories of Kate filled his mind.

"You and her are over. You can't go back. There is nothing for you. You can't go back. She won't care. You won't go back. You don't..."

The snap of a twig filled the air of the forest around Humphrey; it was a few hundred meters away. With his only company being birds there wasn't much to muffle the noise. A good meal for the day he hoped.

His hope would come true as it was, or at least it would be, a great meal. A large caribou, practically presenting itself to any wolf around, providing much more meat than he would ever need in a day. He bent his hind legs and pounced towards the neck of the behemoth. The moment was fleeting as he severed its windpipe in a single swift move: a feat that he could have never been able to accomplish a month ago. His food was set for the day and the next, and possibly the following if he was lucky. Without any worry, he began to consume his prize. Once he had his fill, he dragged what was left of the large hunk of meat back to the small cave-den he currently resided in.

The birds were relatively quiet and humans were never near, so the wheels of the train were a soft yet reliable noise he could use to tell when Marcel and Paddy were going to be arriving. Their stays were short, but sometimes would drag on if Humphrey decided to come watch them play their game. Today was not one of those days.

Today was much more.

He had no idea why, but something compelled him to go back to the lake. Something deep inside him. Urging him to go back to the mystic water despite his already long stay earlier in the day. Just like before, the water was glistening, but no longer reflecting with such clarity. Creatures were well awake now, and all off their thirsty mouths had contributed to this loss of tranquility in the soft blue. He looked down at himself in the wavy water.

"You and her are over. You can't go back, there is nothing for you. You can't go back, she won't care. You won't go back, you don't…"

A strange smell caught Humphrey's nose. He knew the scent, but could not get himself to recognise it. Lucky for him, golden fur happens to be very reflective in the sunshine.

* * *

Kate, despite her many great skills of being an Alpha, had no idea where to start, so she, as Humphrey told her he would do, let the train take her. Doing what she believed Humphrey would do next, she slept, and got off where she woke up. She had no idea that she would end up back at a very familiar place.

**Thank you for reading and supporting my writing.**

**As always, read for your own enjoyment.**

**-Hikers123**


	3. Part 3

_**Part Three**_

Kate's tail twitched as sunlight pierced into her half-open eye; the small inconvenience causing her to partially wake up. She groaned as she forced her body to roll over against the rough wood flooring of the train car. To her dismay, the train wasn't on her side as it made a wide uphill turn rotating the train's position and gradually put the sun back into Kate's line of sight.

"Alright I'm up!" she shouted at the light that rudely awoke her. Before her consciousness even had a chance to keep up with her body, she began sleepily stumbling towards the open door of the moving train. She was ready to greet the new day as well as the usual hunting team. This made it a wild surprise to see a tree fly by the "den's entrance". There was practically no time in between when the tree went by and a scream by Kate. Through her shock, she almost stumbled out the other side of the train which happened to above a small steep hill. This created an extra few meter drop for anyone who was unfortunate enough to fall there. For Kate's sake, another scream and a second jump of fear threw her against the back wall of the railroad car now preventing her from stumbling out — for the moment.

The roaring of the train's wheels suddenly blared in Kate's ears as the memory and overall reality of the situation came back to her. She was on the train trying to find Humphrey, and she would do almost anything to find him. No matter how long it took.

The incline of the train began to level out and the ground was flat on either side of the train making a possible jumping point in either direction. She kept quiet and, despite the complete lack of available listeners in the area, got ready to jump as a patch of tall and visibly-soft grass came into sight. She hoped the grass created what would be a soft landing point. Her "Alpha Training" began to kick in as she prepared.

"Three…" _Knees bent._

"Two…"_ Deep breath._

"One!" _It's now or never._

A powerful yell reserved to the lung capacity of trained Alphas escaped her jaws as she soared through the air and into her desired landing zone. The exit was nothing like as it had been when her and Humphrey first arrived back in Jasper: blood was about to be spilt between the two packs, the train had been moving much slower, and the many rock structures by the tracks became temporary exit-ramps for any travelers. This exit seemed much more like an escape to Kate, for the train was moving much faster and seemed decently high above the ground for miles. She had to carefully plan it; even then, she missed her mark.

Unseen by the view from the train, a small pile of rocks sat within the patch of grass. It seemed to be waiting for a passer-by to make a fatal mistake; a passer-by who would become victim to the sharp edges of mixed minerals that protruded outwards from its base.

A high pitched scream escaped Kate's jaws as she soared through the air and made contact with the awaiting rocks. Mere milliseconds went by, but time had moved slow for the golden Alpha while the process of tearing and slicing took control of her leg. She thought she felt skin and muscle tear as the rest of her body gradually approached the ground. _'Could this be it?'_ thought Kate through the short but everlasting moments of pain erupting at her leg. She was lucky to be able to get up, let alone to be breathing.

**Thank you for reading and supporting my writing.**

**As always, read for your own enjoyment.**

**-Hikers123**


	4. Part 4

_**Part Four**_

Golden fur happens to be very reflective, but not as much when parts of it have been covered in crimson-red blood. Humphrey did not see diminishing aspect, at least not yet. At first he thought he had been hallucinating from some possibly bad berries, but time proved him wrong. The she-wolf had as much grace walking out of the forest as a bear would have clawing at a fresh caribou carcass. She had only been a few meters to the right of Humphrey, but she didn't even care whoever this wolf was at the moment; she had much more pressing matters to attend to. Humphrey on the other hand was completely shocked. It was Kate: HERE! _'Why is Kate here!'_ he thought to himself in disbelief. It was more of a demand than a question. _'How is Kate here?'_ His mind had been so stunned by the situation that he only observed the fact that Kate was there, and not the blood trail behind her. At least until she fell over just before the water.

Humphrey was practically shaking. He could not comprehend that Kate was standing, or laying, in front of him, but there was no time for his confusion. Kate needed help, or else she would be no more. Without fully comprehending what he was doing, he ran up to Kate's limp body and pushed it into the damp banks of the small lake where the crystal-blue water would be able to lick at her injured leg. Although Humphrey was not a healer and did not have any training or basic knowledge, he felt that it was the right thing to do; after that he had no idea what to do next. Kate was hurt, but the bleeding had seemed to slow and she was still breathing. Humphrey had saved her once, and he planned to do so again. He had come to despise her for abandoning him, but he still loved her. Nothing could ever change that.

Nothing.

The only thing he could think to do was to bring her to the small cave-den he called a home in Sawtooth, so he did. Time had gone so fast, that he could barely remember dragging her, but now he was here with a second wolf to handle. He was granted full appreciation for how small the sad hollow he dwelled within truly was. Kate's fur had become wet from being placed in the water, but unlike the dampening effects water usually had onto the greatness of a wolf's coat, Kate's outer brilliance had only been expanded upon. _'Was her beauty ever bounded?' _he asked himself wishing he would get an answer that wasn't his own. Kate was asleep, but she was okay. The wound looked, as to what Humphrey could tell, to only be a surface scratch, if that was an acceptable term for a wound that could have proven fatal. To his knowledge, it was no longer deadly at this point.

Humphrey took a look at Kate then at the remainder of his meal he had from his earlier hunt. He had changed so much since he had left Jasper, and it had only been a month. How could he be this different? What would Kate think when she woke up? Did she even recognize him? Did she even see him? Did it even matter? It was pointless since she obviously didn't care about him. She broke his heart after all.

'_She broke MY heart,' _he thought to himself as he began pacing about the small amount of floor space he had to his disposal. _'I mean, if I were her, I wouldn't care. Who wants an Omega like me if they can have an Alpha like Garth? I should have just settled for Lilly, or even the vegetarians would have been better for me. How could I be so stupid?'_ Hours began to creep by as Humphrey argued with his thoughts. _'Kate knew where I was going, but why is she here? Does she care about me? No, do not get your hopes up Humphrey. You did that before and she had dropped it like it was a dirty pinecone. No one cares about me.' _Kate began to stir. _'I _am_ such an idiot. How could I have even fallen for her again?'_ Her tail twitched sending movement over the wall in the form of a shadow. This action quickly catching Humphrey's attention.

"No, no, no." Humphrey whispered to himself.

Kate's eyelid began to twitch signalling that she was about to wake.

Time was up; he ran away.

**Thank you for reading and supporting my writing.**

**As always, read for your own enjoyment.**

**-Hikers123**


	5. Part 5

_**Part Five**_

Light slowly entered Kate's eyes as she began to shift from the world of dreams to the land of reality revealing the den around her. As her natural instinct, her body began to stand up, but quickly failed with a short cry extruding from Kate's muzzle. Her eyes as well as the entirety of her face winced in pain. She suddenly remembered her jumping from the train, but nothing afterwards. Maroon-red blood began to seep out of a small but deep slit in her front right leg just below her knee. Visibly, the wound did not seem too bad, especially for an Alpha, but the fiery ache that expelled from the wound told otherwise. As her wound slowly began to bleed once more, she tried her best to remember what had happened. Realizing that she was now in a Den that she didn't recognize. The last thing the poor wolfess could remember was jumping out of the train and suddenly seeing a pile of rocks headed straight towards her, or maybe it was her that was moving towards the rocks, but either way she figured out what had been the end result. It wasn't long after when she noticed the damp floor that surrounded her and her body; actually, her entire body was wet. All of her fur was damp for some unknown reason.

A sudden scent caught her nose, and her stomach quickly alerted her that she hadn't eaten anything for hours, or, to her knowledge, days. She had no idea where or when she was, but there was a large Caribou meal that seemed to have been brought down only a few hours prior. And she was hungry.

* * *

Humphrey had left in such a panicked hurry that he had no idea what he had done. He had left his prized meal alone with an Alpha; his cuisine that he had planned to keep for the day or days following would never survive alone with a hungry Alpha. Such a successful hunt: wasted. What was he to do anyway? With Kate around, how could he keep away from her? He could not just hide forever. Kate would find him for whatever reason she was here for, and that would surely be the end.

He must have run at least a kilometer he thought to himself. Suddenly feeling that it was safe for him to speak aloud, he began to mutter to himself. "How could you be such an idiot!" he angrily growled at himself within the silence of the forest. "How could I be such an idiot?" he growled again. He looked up towards the sky quickly finding himself staring at a cloud that looked strangely reminiscent of two wolves in a train car, or maybe it was his pure imagination forming such a shape. "What do you want from me?" asked the silvery-grey wolf; his voice seemed to carry across the forest: resonating off the bark of the trees and blending into the songs of many birds.

Once the echoing of his voice stopped, he finally came to a conclusion that he believed would be a solution: don't be himself.

**Thank you for reading and supporting my writing.**

**As always, read for your own enjoyment.**

**-Hikers123**


	6. Part 6

_**Part Six**_

A strange scent surrounded the she-wolf as she quickly ate the food that had been seemingly left for her. Her leg as well as her body locked up as she ate. Feeling the pain resonating from within the wound, she instinctively forced herself to stop all movement, including her chewing. The den was quiet, but the world outside seemed to be quite alive. Kate couldn't help but quickly finish off the meat and drag herself to the small hole of an entrance hoping to catch a glimpse of anything that would explain how she had gotten into that den.

As she slowly brought herself up to the portal between the seclusion of the cave and the open world of green, birds and other wildlife got louder and crisper. The world seemed so familiar but foreign to Kate. She could remember the horror she felt when she first saw these trees and mountains when she and Humphrey had been taken here, but all at the same time it seemed so much more blissful than Jasper. With no other wolves walking around. With no responsibilities to attend to. With no one to tell her what she could and couldn't do. Why would humans ever try to bring wolves here? Only damage could come from new territory. Only conflict could come.

"Oh Humphrey, where are you?" she asked quietly to the peaceful environment around her. Standing within the doorway, she turned back and looked at the bony remains of the great meal she had just finished. "Oh Humphrey, where are you?" she asked again believing that she had now encountered a new wolf. For it was obvious that only another wolf could have saved her like this, but seeing the size of the already half-eaten caribou that had been, it was not Humphrey. Humphrey, or at least how Kate had remembered him, was small and weak for a wolf, but at the same time held a perfect personality that no one could ever be lucky enough to come across without falling in love.

Day had quickly turned to night as the blue sky had become a gold, then a dark sapphire, then a black speckled with millions of points of light; all were guided by the master moon. Kate had awaited the return of the mysterious wolf all day, but was not granted such. And she was in no condition to walk let alone run, so she was confined to the cave. Turning back to the silent night, she whispered once more, "Where are you?"

She had no idea that there was a particular fun-loving lone wolf had been listening.

**Thank you for reading and supporting my writing.**

**As always, read for your own enjoyment.**

**-Hikers123**


	7. Part 7

_**Part Seven**_

Humphrey's fur shined silver in the bright beams of the mostly-full moon. This made him look like a cliché deity. _'Is she really looking for me?' _he asked himself, still believing that Kate never cared for him as he did for her. _'No, if she really did love me, she would have told me that on the train. She would have told me to stay.'_ From the top of his den he could see the moonlight reflect off of the water of the lake and to the bottom of branches, but not the water itself. In the lowest of audibility, much less than Kate could hear from within the den, he whispered, "such beauty," to the lake. Back inside the pack, he had always thought that the golden light of the sun had been the most divine and powerful thing to behold, but within the solitude of Sawtooth he had come to admire the silver rays of the moon much more than anything. Unlike the sun, the moon would not hurt you by looking at it. Unlike the sun, the moon would not snare you in its glory. Unlike the sun, the moon would not give you life then burn it away from you. The moon had given Humphrey peace.

Kate, on the other hand, had noticed the moon, but only felt pain in it. Unlike all of the other wolves she knew, she no longer felt love and bliss in the light of the moon. For this was the same moon that she had howled to. For this was the same moon that Humphrey had howled to. What she once saw opportunity in had only turned around and crushed it. Humphrey was gone and she had no clue when or if she would see him next. She had no idea that it would be only moments.

Humphrey took one last look at the celestial orb in the sky, and jumped down to the entrance of the cave; his paws making a loud "thud" as they hit the dirt. Kate, just as she was about to lay down, shot her attention to the doorway. She stood motionless and dumbfounded as the silver wolf-god entered the den. Humphrey within the light of the moon, unbeknownst to him, looked nothing as he did when he was in the pack. The beams of light that he had come to call his friends had enveloped him: changing his fur. His grey to silver and white to diamond. His blue eyes had become hidden in shadow. His ears had become mountain peaks against the light. For every bit the sun had accented Kate's outer beauty, Humphrey's had been tripled in the night.

"Kate." Humphrey spoke, trying to start a conversation.

Kate remained still, confused as to how such a mighty wolf would know her name.

"Kate?" Humphrey spoke again, now confused on why Kate was looking at him as she was.

The wolfess began to tremble. "H-how do y-y-you know my-y name?" she questioned. Not once in her life had she felt so much fear as to this single moment.

The silver wolf-god took a step forward thus removing the contrasted shadow from his face. "Kate?" he asked once more.

Despite the godly appearance leaving Humphrey, Kate was still astonished. Although her fear had dissipated, her confusion had only become more confusion. It explained why this "strange" wolf knew who she was, but for every question it answered three more were raised. _'Is that really him?' _and _'What has he done to himself?' _and _'Was it even possible for him to become more gorgeous?'_ all raced through Kate's mind as Humphrey's face appeared out of the shadow of the light. Without his luminous fur actually glowing, he had again appeared as he did back in Jasper. Just a bit bigger.

She felt pressure in her throat as she began to speak in pure astonishment. "Humphrey?".

**Thank you for reading and supporting my writing.**

**As always, read for your own enjoyment.**

**-Hikers123**


	8. Part 8

_**Part Eight**_

Humphrey stared into Kate's eyes as she examined him. He now realized just how much he had changed: a great deal within the last month. Unlike him, Kate had not seemed to change at all. Especially the amber glow that resonated from her eyes. Even though he had been watching her earlier that very same day, it was like seeing an angel for the first time. With that, he could only think of one thing: _'She is trying to trap me again,'_ which he could not allow. He could not allow himself to fall into her trap again only to be crushed once more. She was the most beautiful wolf that Humphrey had ever been so lucky to lay his eyes upon. Alas, the beauty only resides upon the outside. On the outside, Kate glowed like a thousand stars within one, but the inside had seemed to be darkness. A black hole if he may go so far. Once he got too close, he would either be forever encased by her, or torn apart. For Humphrey, he had been both. This forced him to abandon the friendly approach he was about to try.

Kate watched Humphrey as he too examined her. Everything that she could remember about his appearance had only been accented by his obvious Alpha-like activities. Everything but his eyes. Horror had suddenly filled her when she noticed his eyes. Knowing that the eyes are a gateway into the soul, Humphrey's soul had been changed. She had always loved his physical appearance, but his best quality, which should always be the best quality in a mate, was his personality. Back in Jasper, his eyes would practically shine with the blue of the sky and water. They would be filled with fun, joy, love, compassion, freedom, and life. They would be filled with wonder. Containing the ability to lighten any mood, no matter how desperate. Now, those eyes were gone; being supplemented by greying cobalt, and holding nothing as they did before. Where all the wonder had been, had now been purged away and replaced with woe, fear, hatred, and heartache. Despite this, the freedom and life inside Humphrey remained and seemed to even be stronger than before. A dread that Kate had never anticipated had been realized: Humphrey was not the same wolf he was when he left.

She looked at him with fear and feeling intimidated by this "strange" wolf before her. Her throat tensed as she began to speak, "Humphrey..?".

In his own form of astonishment, Humphrey glanced over Kate once more before answering in the most authoritative and uncaring voice he could muster: "Hello Kate. You hurt yourself and you need to stay put until you heal." He paused for a moment trying to word his next statement into the least-sympathetic tone he could: "I will provide you basic needs."

Kate was shocked and somewhat frightened by his voice. Just as his eyes, his voice had also changed. Now it had none of the "Omega" left that had once defined him so well. _'How could he have changed so much?'_ she questioned herself not willing to believe the answer. She remained in direct eye contact with him. She cleared her throat the best she could, then asked, "...is that really you?"

To that he dismissed, "It is time to sleep, and I suggest you do so. The sooner you heal, the sooner you can leave," turning his head away from her.

She looked down at Humphrey's paws noticing that they were clenched into the dirt as if he were angry and ready to jump. As she began to lay down in fearful-obedience, she found herself asking, "What has happened to you?"

He turned back to her, "Time to sleep."

**Thank you for reading and supporting my writing.**

**As always, read for your own enjoyment.**

**-Hikers123**


	9. Part 9

_**Part Nine**_

The night was tense between the two wolves; Humphrey radiated with hostility while Kate absorbed the poison and felt it twisting her insides. Early on, no words had been exchanged among the wolves, but their emotions filled the cave not allowing the other to sleep. Every so often, the former-Omega would begin to feel regret for how he had just treated Kate, but would eventually snap back at himself. This sent another pulse of anger across the den. On the other side of the shelter, Kate tried to sleep, but felt anxiety and worry every time that, unknown to her, Humphrey would begin to feel again.

This time, Kate's eyes were well ready for the sun to peak its light. Although her body received some sleep due to extreme exhaustion, her night remained very much restless causing her to be awake before the day. On the other end of the spectrum, Humphrey had eventually found peace within his mental conflict allowing himself to drift into the realm of dreams.

Kate looked down at her leg inspecting the damage that had been done. By her judgement, she should be well-enough to walk within the next few days, but she was not a medical-empress like her mother. She watched as the light of the sun entered the cave just as the moon's did the night prior. The glory of the day-star entered her eyes and breathed life into her soul suddenly compelling her to walk outside and absorb the opportunities of a new day. So she began to stand only to be immediately reminded of her prior thought. She repeated it to herself this time aloud, "In the next few days, but not today."

A hoarse voice boomed from behind her: "I told you to stay until you are healed. The sooner you heal, the sooner you can be on your way."

All the restless thoughts of the night returned to Kate as she turned her head to the gray wolf. "Humphrey..?"

Her voice trailed as Humphrey's snapped to her without any apparent emotion. "I need to go wash up by the lake." He seemed to choke on the last word before continuing. "I will take you there if you wish. Reply with a simple 'yes' or 'no'."

Kate was once again taken aback by the overpowering discipline in wolf's voice. She replied without any real hesitation barking a quick "yes Sir" as she had in Alpha school only a half-year ago.

A somewhat wicked smirk arose upon the right side of Humphrey's face, giving the impression that he enjoyed the addition of "Sir" to the reply. It was not a smile, but surely a smirk. A smile is what was given upon a daily basis of Humphrey's past life. He could no longer find the will to force a smile. A smirk however was of malicious intent or pleasure.

Kate knew this. She saw the wicked lift of his right lip causing an unnoticeable shiver to run down her spine. Despite how ridiculous it seemed, she responded with a smile in hopes that it would entice one out of Humphrey. Rather than changing his smirk to a smile, his expression quickly returned to a stone faced blankness. Kate's did similar, but to a face more of sadness than neutrality.

Awkwardly, Humphrey picked up the golden Alpha off the still-damp floor of the den. There were a few winces and sharp gasps from Kate as she was carefully lifted onto the back on Humphrey. For the life of him, he could not remember how he managed to do the same yesterday without fault or difficulty. Perhaps it was just the call of adrenaline.

As he finally settled the large weight of almost pure-muscle onto his back, he began for the entrance making sure he did not turn his head to speak.

"No talking until we reach the lake."

**Thank you for reading and supporting my writing.**

**As always, read for your own enjoyment.**

**-Hikers123**


	10. Part 10

_**Part Ten**_

_What am I doing? This isn't me. Kate is here and she is injured, and I'm being _horrible_ to her._

_It has only been a few waking hours and you are already beginning to crack. You are weak. Humphrey._

_I am not weak. I am loving. I left her in anger, and she has returned to me in need. I should not be enjoying that. I should have never left her._

_You'll see once you get to the lake. She is going to go on and on about how "she and the pack were looking for a new place to settle after the slew of Eastern wolves combined with the existing Western Pack quickly diminished the remaining food supply." You better give them a reason to stay away. This is your land. _All_ of Sawtooth is _your_ land._

Humphrey's expression remained stone as he made the short trek to the lake with the weight of another fully grown and powerful wolf upon his back. There was no emotion in his eyes, but a very noticeable twitch in his ears suggested otherwise. Kate quickly noticed.

In Alpha School, Kate was taught how to accurately read body language. With Humphrey's actions as of late, it was very difficult to read anything about him. What she could tell about him though was that he was very aware of every movement he made; him making sure that he did and said everything just as it was intended to be. In all honesty, a trait she had not seen in anyone in actual life. Only exampled by her father during her training.

Because of this crack in his resolve, Kate took quick note that something was amiss. She thought the same thing before with the small smirk he gave, but the emotion that it conveyed was very fitting for the rest of his tone. This ear twitch however was very much different.

She decided that this was the perfect opportunity to chip at the steeled wolf. "Humphrey?"

"No talking." His response was short and bitter, but also seemed to be distracted by something.

"I noticed the large amount of muscle you've gained since we last saw each other. I know living alone must be difficult, but I wouldn't mind hearing about your daily activities. What is the secret? A combination of caribou-hunting and log-sledding? Oh, I bet that is it. I'll never forget that log slide from the bear. What did you say we were? World Adventurers?"

Her irritatingly beautiful nature to not back down definitely tore at Humphrey's resolve; it added to the conflict already roaring inside of his mind.

_I can't believe that you are actually considering this. You are such an Omega. Never could stand up to an Alpha._

_I can't believe I would even consider anything else. Look what I'm doing to her. What I'm doing to myself. I can see it in her eyes. She _loves_ me._

_You were always such a fool. It wasn't until I came along that you finally grew a backbone._

_I guess what they say is true: anger blinds judgement._

_And they also say love is blind._

_Then I guess I'll suffer either way._

_You'll regret this._

_I'll see._

**Thank you for reading and supporting my writing.**

**As always, read for your own enjoyment.**

**-Hikers123**


	11. Part 11

_**Part Eleven**_

"I'm so sorry, Kate." His voice was soft but still very much audible. "I was so stupid to leave."

Kate's heart fluttered as she heard emotions return to Humphrey's words, but she was quickly halted by the sadness and remorse that could be heard.

"I don't care if you love Garth. That doesn't change the fact that I love you. You've always held such a strong responsibility on your back, and not once have you ever let it down."

Kates mouth began to open in response, but no words came as Humphrey continued.

"The more I think about it, the more I come to love that about you. You are determined. You are caring. You are loving. The same traits that made me fall for you are the same traits I foolishly let draw me away from you."

A sharp breath could be felt while riding on Humphrey's back. It was obvious that he could no longer keep back any tears. Each breath that he took caused his back spasm slightly. Each breath that he took caused physical pain for Kate, but she did not seem to mind as she listened to each word he spoke.

"No matter what happens, I will always love you. But I hate myself because of it. I have treated you so poorly since you've arrived here. What kind of wolf wants to hurt the wolf he loves?"

Kate's eyes began to water as she could hear the pain in his words.

"I promise you I will do all I can to help you heal, but I don't want to hurt you."

Kate could no longer keep silent as her own emotions now became too much to bear: "You are the reason why I am here Humphrey. There is so much I need to tell you." She was ready to add another sentence to her plea, but Humphrey was quick to interrupt her.

"I know what you are going to say. All my life I had wished for you to say that, but not now. You are a wonderful wolf Kate. You do not deserve someone like me."

Silence once again took hold of the forest as neither wolf were able to continue now. The only noises that could be heard was the quiet echo of birds chirping and the soft padding of each step the wolf took.

The lake really was not that far, but the pace had been much slower when Humphrey had been slowed by the fact he had to focus his balance on each step. But they did eventually arrive at their destination. He carefully leaned forward and allowed Kate to hobble onto the ground. Although she normally hated to get wet, the soft sand-like mud felt wonderful on her paws. Despite the physically calming elements that surrounded her, she was unable to relax.

She was finally ready to confess her love to Humphrey. And even though she had not yet said anything to him, he had already rejected it. That did little to stop her however.

As soon as she managed to get her body settled in the soothing coolness of the soil, she said the three words: "I love you."

Although she couldn't see it, Humphrey frowned at her words. "You shouldn't love me. I'm not the type of wolf that deserves that kind of affection."

"I told you I needed to tell you what happened."

Humphrey turned to look at her; their eyes locked. "I don't need to know, but I will listen if it will make you happy."

"I didn't marry Garth."

**Thank you for reading and supporting my writing.**

**As always, read for your own enjoyment.**

**-Hikers123**


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